Glucose Uptake Measurement in Cancer Imaging

Cancer cells often exhibit elevated rates of glucose uptake and glycolysis, a phenomenon exploited by imaging modalities to visualise tumour metabolism. Positron emission tomography (PET) using radiolabelled glucose analogues—most notably 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG)—remains the clinical standard for non-invasive quantification of glucose consumption in solid tumours. Advances in scanner technology, kinetic modelling and hybrid imaging have enhanced spatial resolution and enabled dynamic assessment of tracer uptake, revealing intratumoural metabolic heterogeneity. In parallel, novel molecular probes and single-cell assays have emerged to dissect glucose transporter activity and intracellular fate of sugar analogues in preclinical models. Optical reporters based on click chemistry, enzyme-activatable fluorophores and nanoparticle conjugates permit high-resolution mapping of glucose flux in vivo and ex vivo. Integration of metabolic imaging with immunophenotyping and genomics is refining our understanding of tumour microenvironments, guiding patient stratification and monitoring response to therapies that target metabolic vulnerabilities. Globally, these methodologies underpin precision oncology efforts by informing staging, prognosis and therapeutic decision-making, while also driving the development of next-generation tracers and analytical algorithms for improved tumour characterisation.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated a copper-free click chemistry approach to post-labelling of azide-tagged sugars, enabling flow cytometric measurement of glucose uptake in single cells with minimal background signal. By screening azide-substituted monosaccharides, researchers identified 6-azido-6-deoxy-D-galactose as a substrate of glucose transporters that closely mimics 18F-FDG kinetics in vivo, facilitating high-precision dissection of metabolic subpopulations in complex tissues. Foundational work has also applied liquid biopsy-based metabolic phenotyping to identify distinct glycolytic and oxidative cell states in disseminated tumour cells, linking these phenotypes to therapy response and survival. Such approaches combine metabolic flux assays with transcriptomic profiling to reveal mechanistic links between glucose uptake patterns, receptor expression and therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Glucose Uptake Measurement in Cancer Imaging publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in glucose uptake measurement in cancer imaging across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

18F-FDG: A radiolabelled glucose analogue widely used in PET to measure cellular glucose uptake in vivo.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET): A non-invasive imaging technique that detects pairs of gamma rays emitted by a positron-emitting radionuclide tracer.

Glucose Transporters (GLUTs): Membrane proteins that facilitate the uptake of glucose and its analogues into cells.

Click Chemistry: A bioorthogonal chemical reaction used to attach fluorophores or other labels to biomolecules under physiological conditions.

Radiotracer: A radioactive compound administered to a subject to trace metabolic or physiological processes via imaging.

Tumour Metabolic Heterogeneity: Variability in metabolic activity and nutrient uptake within different regions of a tumour.

References

1. Post-click labeling enables highly accurate single cell analyses of glucose uptake ex vivo and in vivo. Communications Biology (2024).
2. Liquid biopsy-based single-cell metabolic phenotyping of lung cancer patients for informative diagnostics. Nature Communications (2019).
3. Single Cell Glucose Uptake Assays: A Cautionary Tale. Immunometabolism (2020).